Ang Kalatas Volume IV June 2014 Issue

Sydney cager joins UP's Fighting Maroons ENTERTAINMENT | PAGE 13 SPORTS | PAGE 20 VOL IV • NO. 9 Eliza Mae: Rising strummer girl from Brisbane www.kalatas.com.au | [email protected] | facebook.com/angkalatas | @angkalatas BUDGET A walk against the talk BLUES FILIPINO-AUSTRALIANS joined people from all walks of life who marched recently in the ‘Walk For Respect’ - a gathering organised to express disagreement to proposals removing protections in Section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act. AK News Team PRIME MINISTER TONY ABBOTT PHOTO BY RICKY MENDOZA WHILE everyone is waiting to see whether legislators will pass the budget or not, the Abbott government’s Federal Budget 2014 has been the talk of the town. PAGE 03 FILIPINO-Australians joined people from all walks of life who marched last month in the ‘Walk For Respect’ - a gathering organised to express disagreement to proposals removing protections in Section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act. The marchers declared that the proposed amendment to the Act could only spark racism and bigotry in the country. “The government is con- sidering whether or not to remove protections in Section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act. Walk For Respect is a way of showing that racism and bigotry are never okay,” said MP Tony Burke, one of the organisers of the walk. The walk started at the corner of Gillies and Haldon Streets, Lakemba and finished at Parry Park, Lakemba. It was a colourful march that culminated in a community gathering featuring cultural shows and dances. Filipino NGO Migrante issued a statement calling for the “retention of 18c.” “Attorney General George Brandis commented that people have the right to be bigots. We are astounded by that comment. Nobody has the right to bigotry; but we all have the right to be protected from bigotry,” a Migrante official said. Attorney General Brandis who is a senator prepared the draft legislation on the amendment that many fear could re- move restrictions on what one can say or express with regard to matters related to race and culture. In March, Brandis said the problem with the current law was that it dealt with racial vilification in ‘’the wrong way’’ by ‘’political censorship’’. ‘’People do have a right to be bigots, you know,’’ Senator Brandis said at a Senate meeting. “People have the right to say things that other people would find insulting, offensive or bigoted.”